Job 22

¹Then Eliphaz the Themanite responded by saying

²Can man be compared with God, even if he were perfect in knowledge

³What advantage is it to God, if you were just? Or what do you provide for him, if your way should be immaculate

⁴Will he reprove you and take you to judgment for being afraid

⁵and not because of your many evil deeds and your infinite unfairness

⁶For you have taken away the collateral of your brothers without cause, and stripped them naked of their clothing

⁷You have not given water to the weary; you have taken bread away from the hungry

⁸By the strength of your arm, you took possession of the land, and you retain it by being the strongest

⁹You have sent widows away empty, and you have crushed the shoulders of orphans

¹⁰Because of this, you are surrounded by traps, and unexpected fears will disturb you

¹¹And did you think that you would not see darkness and that you were not to be overwhelmed by the on-rush of overflowing waters

¹²Have you not considered that God is higher than the heavens and is lifted above the height of the stars

¹³And you say: “Well, what does God know?” and, “He judges, as if through a fog,

¹⁴and, “The clouds are his hiding-place,” and, “He does not examine us closely,” and, “He makes his rounds at the limits of the heavens.

¹⁵Do you not want to tend the path of the ages, which wicked men have spurned

¹⁶These were taken away before their time, and a flood overthrew their foundation

¹⁷They said to God, “Withdraw from us,” and they treated the Almighty as if he could do nothing

¹⁸though he had filled their houses with good things. May their way of thinking be far from me

¹⁹The just will see and will rejoice, and the innocent will mock them

²⁰Has not their haughtiness been cut down, and has not fire devoured the remnants of them

²¹So, repose yourself with him and be at peace, and, in this way, you will have the best fruits

²²Accept the law from his mouth, and place his words in your heart

²³If you will return to the Almighty, you will be rebuilt, and you will put sinfulness far from your tabernacle

²⁴He will give you stone in place of dirt, and torrents of gold in place of stone

²⁵And the Almighty will be against your enemies, and silver will be gathered together for you

²⁶Then will you flock together in delight over the Almighty, and you will lift up your face to God

²⁷You will plead with him, and he will listen to you, and you will pay your vows

²⁸You will decide on something, and it will come to you, and the light will shine in your ways

²⁹For he who had been humbled, will be in glory; and he who will lower his eyes, will be the one saved

³⁰The innocent will be saved, and he will be saved with purity in his hands